Stamp holder and binder.



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STAMP HOLDER AND BINDER.

(Application filed Feb. 3, 1599.)

(No Model.)

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TR: Norws PETERS co.. Fumo-Luna. lv/summum D cy E l n I UNITED 'STATE-snrnN'r' FFICE..

STAMP HOLDER AND BINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,454, dated October10, 1899.

Application filed February 3, 1899. Serial No. 704,356. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern.:

Beit known that I, JOHN E. HARRIS, a citize'n of the United States,residing at Burling-y ton, in the county of Chittenden and State ofVermont, have invented and produced a new and useful Stamp I-Iolder andBinder; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

The objects of this invention are, first, to provide means for the saleand delivery of postage and other adhesive stamps in such a conditionthat they maybe carried into tropical countries and other warm moistplaces without injury, and, second, to provide a system of bindingtherefor which shall require no special printing of stamps for thepurpose and requiring very little skill or expense inf its manipulation.

The difficulty to overcome in this matter was the absence of suitablemargins at convenient places in a sheet of printed stamps to providemeans for binding the same in book form. In other words, should theGovernment be willing to provide (during the operation of printingstamps) blank spaces in each sheet of stamps, which blank portion of thesheet might be used between other sheets or cover margins to form a bookof convenient shape and size to meet the wants of the purchaser, thenthere would exist no real difficulty in serving the public with theseadhesive stamps in otherwise than perishable condition; but as suoli anundertaking on the part of the Government would entail very greatconfusion and loss of material composing the sheets upon which theprinting is done, with a view to making the most stamps that is possiblefrom' a sheet, it would not be found practicable to introduce such acustom in any country. [lo overcome the difficulty here manifested, Ihave invented this system of binding, through which fractional portionsof the regular sheets of postage, revenue, and other like perforated(edged) stamps'when gummed or otherwise may b'e bound and held, so as tomeet all practical requirements of the case, and I will now proceed todescribe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, whichform a -part of this specilication, and in which- Figure l represents aplan or inner face view of a prepared card or other sheet of suitablematerial preparatory to being folded, as hereinafter shown, to hold agiven number of stamps, as herein represented. Fig. 2 represents inperspective one of the sheets of stamps calculated to be fitted for usein one of the spaces marked A B C. A plan of this sheet is shown in Fig.l of my drawings. Fig. 3 represents an end view of two prepared blankcards or sheets so folded as to form three spaces for the reception ofas many full sheets of stamps. (Shown in dotted lines). Fig. 4 shows anarrangement of two elastic bands or cords for binding' sheets of stampsand other material together, as hereinafter set forth. Fig. 5 representsan end View of folded cards or sheets held together by means of theelastic device shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Embraced in the essential features of the invention is the oddarrangement of the stamps in the book, whereby the solid center of oneor more of the stamps is made to occupy the central position Where thebending takes place, coincident with the bending of the cover, whichcover is provided with notches D and E, as shown, for the reception ofan elastic band or its equivalent F, which band passes over the face ofthe central stamps on the one side and over the back of the cover on theother, thus binding the stamps to the cover whether the same are in anopen or closed condition. The cover in this case (marked G) is simplyone of the stiff folders prepared with oil or other material to preventthe gummed side of the stamps from sticking to its surfaces under anynatural conditions, which folders may be used inside of one another to aconsiderable number with good effeet, but I shall confine myself here tothe description of two in combination. When the six inner faces of thesetwo folders are duly be laid against them, leaving the face of thestamps in such position as to meet when folded in each space left fortheir reception, wherefrom all other operations connectedwith the devicemay be carried out with perfect ease.

In will be observed in Fig. 3 that asingle band or cord is used fo'r thepurpose of binding both folders G and I-I, together with their containedsheets of stamps, (shown in dotted lines,) two sheets of the same beingheld entirelybetween the inner surface of the former treated, the gummedside of the stamps may IOO and outer surface of the latter. As amodification of this device, Fig. 5 provides 'or rcceiving separatefolds of the stamp sheets between each of the spaces therein formed b ythe folders G and II and which is accomplished through the use of twobands or cords K and Il, one of which, l, binds the folders, as in Fig.3, while the other, Il, passes over K at both ends and also passesthrough the space formed between G- and Il and ilicidentally through thefold of the stamp sheet when there in place, here shown elevated indotted lines to avoid confusion.

Vhile this device may be ol any suitable dimensions and to containstamps of great variety, I have here illustrated and shown a book ofthree double pages, each containing twenty stamps or, say, fortytwo-cent and twenty one-cent stamps, or one dollar-s worth indenominations such as will admit of many usefulcombinationsfol-postalcharges. Furthermore, while this division furnishes the requisite oddarrangement across the face of the book, as described, it uses up anordinary sheet of printed stamps without a rem nant that is to say,there are in practice four hundred stamps printed on one sheet, ortwenty stamps in both directions-wherefore this economic calculation inconnection with the other practical requirements in this case, whichadmits, further, of introducing printed folders for givingjr postal andother information and which could be bound in separately (if need be) atlittle cost, as the same elastic band or cord which is used for holdingthe other parts together would serve as a binder for auxiliary sheetswhether placed on the inner or outer side of the original folded sheetsof the device.

Havingr thus described my invention, what I here claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

In a device for holding and binding postage and other stamps, thecombination of two folded sheets of material notched at the top andbottom as shown, with two elastic bands or cords, one of which passesover the center of the inner sheet and over the outer surface of theouter sheet, after passing through the notches at the top and bottom,while the other hand or cord is passed over the ends of the inner sheetand band and through the spaces formed between the two sheets as shown,for the purpose of holding separately the folds of stamp sheetsintroduced in these outer spaces as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN E. HARRIS.

lVitnesses:

JOHN F. IAnn'r, Clins. W. BLAoKWooD.

